What is respiration?

What makes up the respiratory system?

The respiratory system is made up of the organs involved in the exchange of gases, and consists of the:

Nose

Mouth (oral cavity)

Pharynx (throat)

Larynx (voice box)

Trachea (windpipe)

Bronchi

Lungs

The upper respiratory tract includes the:

Nose

Nasal cavity

Ethmoidal air cells

Frontal sinuses

Maxillary sinus

Sphenoidal sinus

Larynx

Trachea

The lower respiratory tract includes the:

Lungs

Airways (bronchi and bronchioles)

Air sacs (alveoli)

What are the functions of the lungs?

The lungs take in oxygen, which the body's cells need to live and carry out their normal functions. The lungs also get rid of carbon dioxide, a waste product of the cells.

The lungs are a pair of cone-shaped organs made up of spongy, pinkish-gray tissue. They take up most of the space in the chest, or the thorax (the part of the body between the base of the neck and diaphragm).

The lungs are enveloped in a membrane called the pleura.

The lungs are separated from each other by the mediastinum, an area that contains the following:

Heart and its large vessels

Tachea (windpipe)

Esophagus

Thymus

Lymph nodes

The right lung has three sections, called lobes. The left lung has two lobes. When you breathe, the air:

Enters the body through the nose or the mouth

Travels down the throat through the larynx (voice box) and trachea (windpipe)

Goes into the lungs through tubes called main-stem bronchi:

One main-stem bronchus leads to the right lung and one to the left lung